Delicious Discovery: Trotter's Hot Pepper Jelly

My husband likes things spicy. Really spicy. He'll eat scotch bonnet peppers raw. So when he came over here and realized there was a superabundance of pepper jellies that claimed to set your tongue a'tingling, he was excited. And then he tried them and was bitterly disappointed. See, manufacturers don't make jellies for people like my husband. They make them for people who like just a tiny bit of a kick. The ones who order their curries medium and feel really daring and have to drown the taste in naan and rice. We were about ready to throw in the towel and wait for our pepper plants to mature and make our own jelly, but then we discovered Trotter's.

Trotter's took a stall at the Stockbridge Market not long ago, and because we're rather hopeful people, we stopped to try their Hot Pepper Jelly, expecting the usual assault of sweet followed by a tiny hopeful flicker of heat at the end. We were so, so wrong. This jelly doesn't mess around. They make it with scotch bonnets from a recipe founder Byam Trotter's great aunt Dina developed. God bless great aunt Dina. This stuff is fantastic on just about anything--crackers, a bit of cheese, even on sweet items like pancakes and chocolate cake, for those who are more daring. I'm considering stirring a bit into my oatmeal one morning just to see what it'll be like.

For those who really can't handle much spice, it's not an all-out assault, just a shot across the bow, if you will. It's just hot enough to make things interesting, which is more than can be said for most commercially produced hot peppery jellies. The company also produces chutneys (I rather like their "Bloody Shame" Bloody Mary-inspired concoction) and some of the best mostarda I've had outside of Italy. Sensational on cold meats (and also in porridge, according to the man manning the booth at the market).

Trotter's products can be purchased online at foodisan.com (mainland UK only) and peppercornsdeli.co.uk (probably also UK only). You can also find them at several stores throughout Scotland and Northern England.

Jubilee Lunch

We're about halfway through the 4-day Jubilee extravaganza. Yesterday was the (slightly soggy) Thames Pageant; today there's a big concert at Buckingham Palace and the lighting of the beacons (I'm hoping to get some video of the lighting of the Edinburgh beacon to post here).

Maybe it's a bit perverse, what with all the talk about Scottish independence, but I found myself watching the pageant yesterday while tucking into a spectacular and rather Scottish food-heavy luncheon, almost all of which was gleaned from the Stockbridge market and featured several Delicious Discoveries. At least I had the Union Jack mug to balance it all out, right?

On the Menu
Admiral Collingswood Cheese: British, actually (from Doddington Dairy), so I don't feel too bad. A delicious, creamy semisoft washed in Newcastle brown ale that reminds me a bit of cheddar. Excellent on an oatcake; takes well to any number of jam or chutney accompaniments.
Organic Gouda from Connage Highland Dairy: Also splendid and creamy, a bit harder and more assertive than the Admiral, also takes well to a number of accompaniments
Alisa Craig Cheese: A beautiful crumbly goat's milk cheese with a sturdy, tangy rind from Dunlop Dairy
Black Pudding Scotch Egg: Slightly crispy on the outside, herby and eggy on the inside, just the way I like it
Olives a l'Escabeche from The French Food Company: Firm and slightly spicy, though that might have been due to the chopped up habanero my husband added
Trotter's Hot Pepper Jelly: More on this later--it deserves its own entry
Oatcakes (naturally) and Cream Crackers (which have no cream in them. Odd)
Tea: Hazelnut from Pekoe Teas in Morningside (more on this later as well)